Did you know that Sikhs are one of the largest religions in the world with nearly 25 million Sikhs worldwide and that Skikhs are not Muslims?

Did you know that Sikhs are one of the largest religions in the world with nearly 25 million Sikhs worldwide and that Sikhs are not Muslims?
In post-9/11 America, Sikhs have become targets for hate crimes and xenophobia––so what is Sikhism and who are its followers?Sikhism (/ˈsikɪzəm/), or Sikhi[3] (Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖੀ Sikkhī, pronounced [ˈsɪkːʰiː], from Sikh, meaning a "disciple", or a "learner"), is a monotheistic[4][5] Indian religion that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent about the end of the 15th century.[6][7] It is one of the youngest of the major world religions. The fundamental beliefs of Sikhism, articulated in the sacred scripture Guru Granth Sahib, include faith and meditation on the name of the one creator, unity of all humankind, engaging in selfless service, striving for social justice for the benefit and prosperity of all, and honest conduct and livelihood while living a householder's life.[8][9][10] In the early 21st century there were nearly 25 million Sikhs worldwide, the great majority of them living in the Indian state of Punjab.[11]
Sikhism is based on the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak, the first Guru,[12] and the ten successive Sikh gurus. Guru Nanak established Kartarpur (Creator's town) around 1520 and gathered the original core of the Sikh Panth (community) there.[13] After the death of the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, became the literal embodiment of the eternal, impersonal Guru, where the scripture's word serves as the spiritual guide for Sikhs.[14][15][16] An Indian religion, Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on Absolute Truth.[17][18]
Sikhism emphasises simran (meditation on the words of the Guru Granth Sahib), that can be expressed musically through kirtan or internally through Nam Japo (repeat God's name) as a means to feel God's presence. It teaches followers to avoid the "Five Thieves" (lust, rage, greed, attachment and conceit). Hand in hand, secular life is considered to be intertwined with the spiritual life.[19] Guru Nanak taught that living an "active, creative, and practical life" of "truthfulness, fidelity, self-control and purity" is above the metaphysical truth, and that the ideal man is one who "establishes union with God, knows His Will, and carries out that Will".[20] Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh Guru, established the political/temporal (Miri) and spiritual (Piri) realms to be mutually coexistent.[21]
Sikhism is a relatively recent religion, that evolved in times of religious persecution. Two of the Sikh gurus – Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur, after they refused to convert to Islam, were tortured and executed by the Mughal rulers.[22][23] The persecution of Sikhs triggered the founding of the Khalsa, as an order to protect the freedom of conscience and religion,[22][24] with qualities of a "Sant-Sipāhī" – a saint-soldier.[25][26]

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